Marvel reveals the future of Captain America's Steve Rogers (Updated)

On Monday, Marvel plans to announce who the new Captain America will be following the tragic events in Captain America #21. Over the weekend, Marvel posted the above photo to its official Tumblr with the caption,”Who will be Marvel comics’ NEW #CaptainAmerica? Learn more this Monday on Marvel.com! #4thOfJuly.”

The question on every non-comic reader’s mind is probably: What happened to Steve Rogers, the current Captain America? During a battle with the villain the Iron Nail, Steve Rogers had the Super-Soldier serum sucked from his body, leaving him powerless and causing him to rapidly age into an old man. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, writer Rick Remender confirmed that Steve Rogers will no longer be in the field as Captain America.

This isn’t the first time that someone else has assumed the role of Captain America. When Steve Rogers was assassinated at the end of the “Civil War” story arc, Bucky Barnes became the new Captain America.

This time, though, it seems likely that Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon, will take on the Captain’s identity. Not only is he Captain America’s longtime partner, but also in the same interview with CBR, Remender teased that the upcoming story arc “The Tomorrow Solider,” would include a big story arc for The Falcon.

UPDATE: Marvel did not reveal who would be taking over for Steve Rogers today; it turns out that the new Captain America will not debut until this fall. Marvel did, however, explain what the Captain America comic series will look like going forward and what Steve Rogers’ role would be. In an interview with Marvel, writer Rick Remender explained that Steve Rogers will assume the role of a mentor and strategist now that he has lost his powers.

“He’s waging war from a room rather than the front lines, which is new for Steve,” said Remender. “Steve’s going to continue to play a role in the series as a mentor and tactician and eye in the sky, runing ops and things. He’s got all his faculties and is still the super soldier he earned the right to be called; he just lacks the physical form.”

Over the next few issues, Steve Rogers will struggle to pick a replacement from a short list; one cast member will be betrayed, and “a few surprise characters we haven’t seen in awhile” are set to return.